A Chinese government laboratory has been set up to research technologies to minimize the damage of nuclear and biochemical disasters, officials said.

The lab in Beijing will focus on ways to evaluate and monitor damage and to protect people, facilities and the environment in the event of such disasters, Pei Chengxin, the lab's director, said.

The facility opened Tuesday is under the People's Liberation Army General Armament Department, which has already developed several key technologies for use in monitoring poisonous gas and biochemical threats, China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

Building on the military research, the lab is expected to develop related technologies for civilian use and train more scientists in this field, Pei said.

Merged into the new facility are a government laboratory of analytical chemistry, a military institute on environmental science and a laboratory on chemical warfare protection, Xinhua reported.

Signs of evolving US gun debate after school tragedyWashington (AFP) Dec 17, 2012
New signs emerged Monday of an evolving US gun law debate, with several top lawmakers appearing more open to stiffening controls on firearms after the Connecticut school massacre.
Rising demands for stricter gun control laws, in a nation where bearing arms is a constitutional right, came a day after President Barack Obama told grieving relatives of 26 people killed Friday that such tragedies ... read more

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